MEMORIAL 


O  K 

President  James  A.  Garfield. 


REV.  L.  H.  CONE, 


PASTOR  or 


OLIVET  CHURCH, 


Springfield,  Mass.,  Sept.  25,  1881. 


SPRINGFIELD,  MASS.: 

WEAVER,  SHIPMAN  AND  COMPANY,  PRINTERS. 

1881. 


Printed  at  the  request  of  friends  in  the  Olivet  Church  and  Congregation, 


G\  I  %  ^  c-r 


MEMORIAL 


or 


PRESIDENT  JAMES  A.  GARFIELD. 


Born,  Nov.  19,  1831;  Shot,  July  2,  1881;  Died,  Sept.  19,  1881. 


II  Samuri.  Ill :  34  and  38.— “  Thy  hands  were  not  bound,  nor  thy  feet  put  into  fetters  :  as 
a  man  falleth  before  wicked  men  so  fellest  thou.  And  all  the  people  wept  again  over  him.” 

“  And  the  king  said  unto  his  servants,  Know  ye  not  that  there  is  a  prince  and  a  great  man 
fallen  this  day  in  Israel?  ” 


Abner,  son  of  Ner,  after  friendly  consultation  with 
King  David,  going  home  in  peace,  was  recalled  by 
Joab,  and  treacherously  slain. 

King  David,  in  broken  words,  voiced  the  universal 
sorrow:  “Thy  hands  —  not  bound;  thy  feet  —  not 
brought  into  fetters. — As  one  falls  before  the  sons  of 
wickedness,  so  fellest  thou.  And  all  the  people  wept 
again  over  him .” 

When  they  would  urge  David  “  to  eat  meat  while 
it  was  yet  day,  David  sware,  saying,  So  do  God  to  me, 
and  more  also,  if  I  taste  bread,  or  ought  else,  till  the 
sun  be  down.” 

“  And  the  king  said  unto  his  servants,  Know  ye  not 
that  there  is  a  prince  and  a  great  man  fallen  this  day 


in  Israel ?  ” 


4 


One  far  superior  to  Abner,  son  of  Ner,  has  fallen 
by  the  hand  of  violence.  •“  Prince  ”  among  army- 
leaders,  by  his  distinguished  military  ability  ;  “  great 
man,”  “  by  reason  of  his  lofty  qualities  of  character 
and  virtues,  his  power  of  action,  his  courage,  his  hon¬ 
orable  self-conquest  ”  :  all  that  has  been  written  of  the 
one  has  been  more  than  fulfilled  in  the  life  of  the  other. 

Our  Savior  s  words  are  my  authority  :  “  Verily  I  say 
unto  you,  Among  them  that  are  born  of  women  there 
hath  not  risen  a  greater  than  John  the  Baptist :  not¬ 
withstanding  he  that  is  least  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven 
is  greater  than  he!' 

James  A.  Garfield,  servant  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
honest  believer  and  faithful  disciple  “  in  the  kingdom 
of  heaven,”  and  not  least,  stands  on  a  higher  plane  than 
the  Jewish  warrior,  over  whom  King  David  and  all  the 
people  wept.  There  is  nothing  of  duplicity  in  his 
career,  nothing  to  make  us  blush.  New  Testament 
Christianity  has  produced  a  man  of  purer  moral  sense, 
nobler  endowments — and  all  crowned  with  loyal  devo¬ 
tion  to  his  God. 

On  a  bright  morning  in  July,  in  full  manly  vigor, 
anxiety  over  his  beloved  companion  removed,  his  face 
turned  toward  his  chosen  College  home,  accompanied 
by  his  trusted  friend,  he  drove  through  the  streets  of 
Washington  to  the  railroad  station  with  the  same  sense 
of  security  that  any  American  citizen  is  glad  to  cherish. 
There  the  base  assassin  takes  advantage  of  time  and 
place,  comes  stealthily  near,  and  by  cruel  aim  reaches 
the  sacred  life. 

Joab  had  some  excuse — poor  enough — to  avenge  a 
brothers  death ;  but  this  modern  villain,  “  son  of 
Belial,”  none.  In  a  time  of  peace,  with  no  exciting 


5 


cause,  from  his  own  wicked  heart,  he  carried  out  the 
long-devised  plan  of  vilest  treachery. 

I  cannot  speak  too  strong  words  of  fitting  condem¬ 
nation.  Seeming  indifference  thereto  would  render 
one  almost  a  partaker  in  that  guilt.  In  all  our  sorrow 
to-day  for  the  great  loss,  in  all  our  tenderness  and  fer¬ 
vent  prayers  for  that  bereaved  wife  and  children,  there 
will  be ,  there  must  be  the  element  of  righteous  indigna¬ 
tion.  Had  President  Garfield  been  taken  from  us  by 
disease,  or  what  we  call  accident,  then  we  should  have 
bowed  in  reverent  submission  to  God.  But  manly 
honor  and  Christian  fidelity  now  demand  “  that,  in 
every  way,  by  word,  deed,  and  behavior,  one  should  set 
forth  ”  his  reprobation  and  abhorrence  of  that  grossest 
crime.  “  For  all  the  people  and  all  Israel  understood 
that  day  that  it  was  not  of  the  king  to  slay  Abner,  the 
son  of  Ner.” 

For  eighty  days  the  baptism  of  sorrow  and  anxiety, 
baptism  of  prayer  and  earnest  longing  for  sparing 
mercy,  has  been  upon  us.  We  have  stood  very  near, 
almost  within  the  veil.  We  have  eagerly  taken  in 
tidings  cheering  or  discouraging ;  we  have  been  glad 
to  believe  our  President  had  the  best  medical  skill,  the 
most  faithful  attendants,  all  that  human  affection  could 
devise  or  afford.  May  God  bless  all  that  band  of  phy¬ 
sicians,  all  those  men  and  women  that  have  served  him 
with  such  unwearied  effort.  One  nearest  his  heart, 
chosen  companion,  next  to  the  Lord  his  best  beloved, 
has  given  us  an  undying  example  of  tenderness  and 
fortitude  combined.  When  she  held  closely  by  him  in 
the  first  shock,  the  reaction,  the  swift-coming  alterna¬ 
tion  of  hope  and  fear,  the  removal  from  sultry,  poisoned 
atmosphere  to  the  cool  breezes  of  ocean ;  hoping 


6 


bravely,  praying  earnestly,  until  that  last  interview, 
sacred  forever  ;  and  then  as  the  life  had  gone  out,  from 
her  broken  heart  came  the  utterance  :  “  Why  was  this 
cruel  wrong  forced  upon  me  ?  ” — in  all  this  we  shared, 
and  reiterate  the  words  to-day :  “  Why  this  cruel 

wrong  ”  forced  upon  us  ? 

There  is  no  answer  yet,  on  the  human  side.  It  may 
come,  it  may  be  near ;  or  it  may  be  that  passing  years 
shall  reveal  how  this  crime  shall  bring  about  a  needed 
change.  Just  now  we  can  only  join  in  the  supplication, 
the  fitly  chosen,  divinely  directed  notes  of  the  funeral 
dirge  :  “  Nearer,  my  God,  to  thee.” 

Not  many  months  since,  Lord  Beaconsfield,  an  Eng¬ 
lish  statesman,  died.  Alexander,  “  Emperor  of  all 
the  Russias,”  fell  by  plotting  violence.  But  neither  of 
these  touched  the  whole  civilized  world  with  the  sense 
of  personal  loss.  Around  him,  President  of  the 
United  States  ;  around  him,  James  A.  Garfield,  the 
noble  man,  have  been  drawn  sorrowing,  sympathizing 
nations  of  Europe  and  Asia,  Africa  and  Australia,  even 
to  the  ends  of  the  earth.  This  will  never  be  forgotten. 
The  brotherhood  of  humanity  seems  more  a  reality. 
The  costly  sacrifice  has  cemented  the  bond.  “  God 
bless  Queen  Victoria;”  we  can  all  join  in  that  right 
loyally  now ;  the  noble  woman  who  has  sent  such 
tender  messages  to  her  bereaved  compeer.  “  God 
bless  England,  Scotland,  Ireland,  and  all  the  provinces  ” 
— that  also  springs  from  our  lips.  Every  tolling  bell 
in  old  ivy-clad  cathedral,  parish  church,  or  lowly  chapel ; 
every  bared  head  and  sorrowing  heart ;  every  message 
of  sympathy  speeding  to  our  ears,  have  stirred  unwonted 
chords,  and  bound  us  in  closer  ties. 

Our  national  life  has  felt  a  new  impulse.  Party 


7 


lines  and  party  names  have  been  for  a  season  oblitera¬ 
ted.  We  have  not  cared  to  ask,  we  have  not  liked  to 
hear,  whether  one  voted  for  James  A.  Garfield  or  not. 
We  have  been  one  in  patriotic  anxiety ;  we  are  to-day 
one  in  sorrow  and  loving  remembrance.  Southern 
warmth  and  affection  have  been  poured  out  toward  the 
man  just  and  true  to  them.  East  and  West,  North  and 
South,  one  nation  now ,  united  in  the  great  loss,  look 
up  to  God  for  His  guiding  hand  and  sustaining  strength. 
The  tenderness  of  our  govermental  relations  is  made 
manifest.  Emperor  nor  crowned  king  could  be  loved 
more  than  President  Garfield ;  nor  quite  in  the  same 
way.  A  worthy  son. of  the  people,  from  our  ranks, 
by  hearty  choice,  elevated  to  the  highest  place,  has 
been  more  to  us  than  if  born  in  any  line  of  royal  suc¬ 
cession.  High  expectations  had  been  cherished.  We 
believed  that  he  intended  to  serve  the  whole  nation. 
His  work  was  but  just  planned.  At  the  crown  of  his 
half-century’s  training  and  experience,  in  the  full  vigor 
of  manhood,  with  such  obviously  honest  intention  and 
sincerity  of  purpose,  we  had  every  reason  to  thank 
God,  who  had  given  him  to  us. 

In  lamenting  such  a  loss,  we  are  brought  face  to 
face  with  serious  questions  concerning  great  issues. 
Wherein  is  our  civilization  faulty  ?  Or  our  political 
system  weak  ?  Or  our  moral  sense  blunted  ?  Or  our 
safeguards  wanting? 

Say  “  that  such  a  crime  may  be  expected  in  Russia, 
Turkey ;  a  cause  for  violent  hatred  in  despotism  ” — but 
here  in  Republican  America  !  Abraham  Lincoln  fell  a 
martyr  when  we  had  just  passed  through  a  civil  war 
and  long  bloody  strife.  But  what  has  brought  this 
upon  us — the  cold  blooded  murder  of  our  now  sainted 


8 


Garfield  ?  A  lunatic,  not  responsible  ?  No,  not  that ! 
A  disappointed  office-seeker ;  a  vain,  conceited,  despi¬ 
cable  fellow,  plague  arjd  disgrace  of  relatives ;  unrelia¬ 
ble,  dishonest,  pretentious?  Yes,  all  that!  For  he 
plotted  the  vile  deed,  and  carried  it  out  deliberately, 
expecting  to  live  and  profit  by  it . 

False  ideas  and  false  teaching  concerning  criminals 
have  become  increasingly  current.  Mercy  and  justice 
have  been  shamefully  perverted.  Sentimental  sympa¬ 
thy  has  been  styled  Christianity.  Delays  of  trial,  pos¬ 
sibilities  of  escape,  life-imprisonment  with  good  hope 
of  coming  pardon,  have  all  helped  on  to  deeds  of 
violence.  “  Impunity  invites  to  greater  crimes.”  “  He 
is  cruel  to  the  innocent,  who  spares  the  guilty.”  These 
axioms  have  not  been  held  firmly,  and  now  “  assassina¬ 
tion,  the  bitterest  fruit,”  has  been  borne.  Perverted 
Christianity  is  no  true  guide.  Sentimental  dealing  with 
the  criminal  surely  undermines  all  government,  all 
security  for  the  nation.  Before  you  make  a  hero  of 
any  murderer,  take  it  home  to  yourself.  Look  again 
at  the  cherished  sanctity  of  your  own  household  ;  the 
wife  whom  you  love,  the  children  so  dear  to  you — and 
see  them  in  a  moment  all  bereft,  plunged  in  deepest 
sorrow  by  the  hand  of  an  assassin  !  Again,  I  say,  think 
of  this,  before  you  put  the  criminal  in  any  position  of 
mistaken  tenderness.  “  He  is  cruel  to  the  innocent 
who  would  weakly  wish  to  spare  the  guilty.” 

The  sacredness  of  human  life  is  abiding  truth.  It  is 
blasphemy  and  falsehood  to  assert  that  this  rests  on 
Jewish  sanction  only.  While  the  earth  was  yet  fresh 
after  the  destroying  deluge,  the  Lord  God  commanded 
Noah,  the  representative  man,  the  head  of  the  spared 
human  race,  and  generations  before  Abraham  was 


9 


called,  saying,  ‘‘Whoso  sheddeth  man’s  blood,  by  man 
shall  his  blood  be  shed  :  for  in  the  image  of  God  made 
He  man.”  By  this  eternal  truth,  that  sacred  image 
shall  not  be  marred,  nor  the  life  touched  to  gratify  any 
passion,  however  violent ;  any  revenge,  however 
deadly ;  much  less,  under  the  pretence  of  lunacy,  with 
hope  of  escape.  Our  share  in  public  opinion  will  be 
measured  and  tested  by  our  honest  acceptance  of  the 
divine  sanction,  which  is  the  only  true  safeguard  of 
every  human  soul.  Government  is  of  God.  “The 
powers  that  be  are  ordained  of  God.  Whosoever 
therefore  resisteth  the  power,  resisteth  the  ordinance 
of  God :  and  they  that  resist  shall  receive  to  them¬ 
selves  damnation.”  Blood-revenge  has  been  done 
away ;  the  son  slaying  the  murderer  of  his  father ;  and 
that  son  in  turn  to  be  pursued  by  the  nearest  kin. 
Now  by  God’s  ordinance  the  man  of  blood  shall  be 
taken  by  the  strong  arm  of  government  and,  after  fair 
trial,  lose  his  forfeited  life.  Justice  and  judgment  are 
not  empty  names.  “Thou  shalt  not  kill” — the  com¬ 
mand  repeated  on  Mount  Sinai,  intensified  by  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  in  the  sermon  on  the  mount — 
rests  forever  on  the  whole  human  race.  Respect  for 
law  demands  that  law  shall  respect  in  turn  our  rights 
and  sacred  instincts.  If  there  be  such  refinement  and 
amendment  that  it  becomes  difficult,  almost  impossible, 
to  convict  the  guilty — that  becomes  a  refinement  of 
cruelty,  a  perversion  of  justice,  the  setting  aside  of  what 
God  has  commanded.  This  is  no  more  true  to-day 
than  it  was  months  ago,  when  President  Garfield,  in 
full  vigor,  stood  before  this  nation  taking  the  official 
oath.  But  we  feel  it  more.  The  truth  is  in  stronger 
light.  If  there  be  no  way  to  reach  the  assassin,  then 


10 


the  government  has  failed  at  a  vital  point,  law  is  trilling, 
and  the  path  toward  confusion  and  mob  violence  opens 
up.  It  must  not  be  for  revenge,  nor  in  anger,  nor 
swayed  by  excitement,  nor  in  any  spirit  that  will  not 
stand  the  true  test  of  divine  truth,  that  we  think  of 
these  things,  or  do  our  part  in  shaping  public  opinion. 
But  this  crowds  upon  me  as  the  most  important  lesson 
now  :  That  a  needed  check  shall  be  given  to  the  con¬ 
stantly  increasing  career  of  crime  ;  and  that  headstrong, 
wicked  men  shall  know  that  punishment  is  sure  to  be 
visited  upon  them.  This  must  be  made  so  plain  that 
men  of  violence  shall  not  mistake. 

We  believe  “  all  men  are  created  free  and  equal.” 
In  one  sense,  every  life  has  the  same  worth.  In  another 
sense,  position  and  relation  to  the  common  interest 
must  be  taken  into  account.  The  death  of  President 
Garfield  has  more  significance  than  that  of  a  private 
citizen,  because  he  stood  the  representative  head  of 
our  government.  As  such  the  civilized  world  regarded 
him,  and  as  such  to-day  unites  in  our  sorrow.  Say, 
he  was  a  man  of  worth,  attainment,  influence,  endow¬ 
ment,  without  any  regard  to  his  station.  Yes,  all  true, 
thank  God.  But  such  a  man,  “  President  of  these 
United  States,”  had  necessarily  become  more  impor¬ 
tant,  more  necessary.  When  the  assassin  aimed  at 
him,  he  was  endeavoring  to  injure  and  destroy  a  life 
with  which  we  had  become  inseparably  connected  by 
the  guiding  hand  of  God.  If  we  have  no  name  yet  to 
specify  this  crime  and  measure  its  guilt,  then  it  does 
behoove  our  statesmen  and  law-makers  to  produce  the 
right  term.  Call  it  treason,  high  treason,  intensest 
treachery,  disloyalty  in  first  degree — any  right,  strong 
word  they  please,  and  then  affix  the  penalty  that  shall 


ii 


correspond.  Let  the  would-be-murderer  understand 
that  the  strong  arm  of  government,  supported  by  the 
strong-centered  opinion  of  this  great  people,  intends 
to  protect  surely  the  man  whom  they  have  chosen. 
We  do  not  desire  body-guards  for  our  President,  nor 
any  secret  police  and  detectives  ;  but  that  he  shall  be 
one  of  us  without  royal  display,  or  despotic  attendance, 
— a  man  beloved,  cherished,  and  made  secure  by  right 
enactments.  Twice  now  assassination  has  made  this 
imperative. 

It  is  in  this  line,  but  altogether  secondary,  that  the 
demand  for  civil-service  reform  must  be  made.  Politi¬ 
cal  life  can  only  be  purified  by  reformation  of  social, 
national  life.  Government  ordained  of  God  is  for  the 
good  of  the  whole,  not  for  any  one  man,  or  any  select 
few.  Party  spirit  easily  passes  over  into  personal 
hatred  and  bitterness.  The  call  for  the  best  men  may 
be  only  a  pretence,  and  the  real  meaning,  “  places  for 
those  who  think,  act,  and  vote  as  I  do.”  We  do  not 
look  for  perfection,  but  we  have  the  right  to  demand 
of  our  statesmen  not  only  honesty,  integrity,  ability, 
but  careful  avoidance  of  all  violent  language,  and  all 
expressions  that  may  tend  to  excite  the  ungoverned 
passions  of  office-seeking  victims.  Such  words  spoken, 
written,  printed,  are  not  without  deadly  effect  when 
they  fall  upon  the  ear  and  heart  of  those  ready  to 
abuse  and  pervert. 

The  increasing  influence  of  the  press  is  to  be  cor* 
dially  recognized.  It  has  become  more  and  more  a 
necessity  in  the  months  of  trial.  Eagerly  we  have 
read  the  tidings  day  by  day,  thought  over  carefully  the 
comments,  and  read  with  quickened  pulse  the  senten¬ 
ces  that  bear  impress  of  true  patriotism.  During  the 


12 


past  week,  especially,  there  have  come  to  us  many 
lessons  that  should  not  be  forgotten.  Written  with 
evident  emotion,  hearts  beating  plainly  in  the  lines, 
warm,  strong,  well-chosen  words,  anticipating  much 
that  can  be  said  to-day,  true  gratitude  requires  this 
acknowledgment  of  such  lessons.  In  so  far  as  these 
shall  continue,  and  the  right  spirit  prevail,  let  us  all 
pray,  “  May  God  sanctify  and  bless  this  power  of  the 
press  for  good.”  I  do  not  expect  Millennial  influence 
and  control  just  yet.  Reaction  may  come.  But  we 
have  in  the  word  of  God  that  system  of  eternal  truth 
that  must  be  made  the  test  of  what  we  think,  speak, 
read,  or  hear.  We  are  American  citizens,  and  more. 
We  are  going  right  on  into  eternity  —  there  all  our 
lives  to  be  passed  upon  ;  there  to  find  the  real  end 
and  issue  of  this  probation. 

The  baptism  of  sorrow  and  prayer  has  not  been  in 
vain.  Under  its  sacred,  softening  influences,  President 
Arthur  has  been  preparing  for  his  solemn  responsibility. 
All  classes  and  parties  express  one  desire,  that  he  shall 
carry  on  the  work  so  well  begun.  It  is  now  time  for 
generous  confidence  and  hearty  support.  It  is  now 
the  set  time  for  earnest  prayer  to  God  that  he  may  be 
protected,  guided,  and  made  the  true  leader  of  this 
nation  for  good.  If  bitterness,  harshness,  reckless 
utterances  pass  away ;  if  the  new  era  in  political,  na¬ 
tional  life  has  dawned,  then  we  shall  recognize  another 
interposition  of  our  God. 

Home-life,  home-influence,  have  assumed  sacred 
importance.  The  lessons  are  varied.  Parents  and 
children,  sons  and  daughters,  are  all  directly  concerned. 
When  the  career  of  Gen.  Garfield  was  written  as  a  so- 
called  “campaign  document,”  it  had  special  attraction. 


13 


But  now  we  read  it  anew,  and  all  unite  in  the  absorb¬ 
ing  interest.  A  little  home  in  Ohio ;  a  widow  strug¬ 
gling  with  poverty,  but  determined  to  keep  her  children 
about  her  ;  obedience  required  of  them  ;  “  nurture  and 
admonition  in  the  Lord  ”  on  her  part — that  brave 
woman  was  then  laying  the  foundations  of  character 
to  be  eternal.  We  may  not  overlook  this.  The  man 
owes  much  to  the  mother  who  loves  him,  guides  him, 
prays  over  him,  and  ever  seeks  to  hold  him  fast  in 
divine  truth.  God  has  blessed  that  faithful  mother. 
God  has  heard  her  prayers,  and  crowned  her  faith.  In 
all  the  honors  to  which  her  beloved  son  attained,  she 
had  full  share  ;  and  every  effort,  needed  sacrifice,  has 
been  recompensed.  “My  boy ,  you  know ” —  “my 
James  ” — are  right  words  for  her.  And  when  the  ven¬ 
erable,  tottering  form  bows  over  the  casket  to-morrow, 
bidding  good-bye  to  the  precious  dust,  from  uncounted 
thousands  will  spring  the  tearful,  sympathizing  prayer, 
“  O  God  of  the  widow,  keep  in  thine  own  care  this 
faithful  mother.” 

Labor  has  received  another  signal  mark  of  respect. 
James  A.  Garfield,  the  hard  toiling  boy,  the  industrious 
young  man,  earning  his  own  support,  laying  up  little 
by  little  for  his  education,  and  overcoming  obstacles  by 
frugality  and  constant  application,  stands  before  all 
boys  and  young  men  a  cheering  example.  The  little 
brown  school-house,  where  he  first  received  the  taste 
for  knowledge — where  in  due  time  he  stood  as  teacher 
— the  pupils  who  soon  learned  to  love  him  ;  leader  in 
manly  thoughts  and  manly  sport ;  associations  well 
known  to  all  of  us — that  school-house  is  an  American 
palace ;  for  in  such  lowly  places  sovereigns  are  taught 
and  trained.  All  teachers  are  proud  to  claim  relation- 


14 


ship  to  this  man  ;  and  all  honor  to  those  who  are  to¬ 
day  faithfully  instructing  boys  and  girls  who  shall  in 
turn  be  the  honored  men  and  women  of  our  land. 

I  do  not  wonder  that  Williams  College  so  devotedly 
cherishes  the  man  that  received  his  higher  education 
there.  Without  any  ignoble  feeling,  every  college  and 
every  college  graduate  shares  in  the  high  regard,  and 
is  glad  that  such  a  place  was  open  to  the  young  west¬ 
ern  applicant.  Mark  Hopkins — then  president — one 
of  the  noblest  men,  welcomed  him  cordially,  and  soon 
came  to  love  him  specially.  I  dare  not  imagine  all  that 
will  come  to  Mark  Hopkins  in  the  next  world,  all  the 
rich  reward  to  the  man  of  missionary  zeal,  speaking  year 
by  year  strong,  inspiring  words  at  the  great  assemblies 
of  the  American  Board,  cheering  on  every  man  and 
woman  going  forth  to  the  work  ;  training  class  after 
class  of  young  men  in  Williams  College;  a  power  in 
the  Church  of  Christ ;  his  great  ability  and  attainments 
in  science  consecrated  to  his  Lord  ;  but  I  believe,  to¬ 
day  as  he  looks  back  over  his  long  life,  there  is  no 
richer  memory  than  what  he  was  enabled  to  do  in  the 
training  of  James  A.  Garfield. 

Another  lesson  is  marked  :  Rank,  position,  success, 
influence,  are  attained  by  hard  work,  fidelity,  honesty, 
constant  regard  to  what  is  right  and  good.  Before 
such  a  man,  however  lowly-born,  there  are  no  insur¬ 
mountable  walls.  Garfield,  president  of  Hiram  Col¬ 
lege  then  struggling  for  existence  ;  in  turn  helping  on 
young  men  toward  education  ;  preaching  earnestly  the 
Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ;  giving  up  all  to  serve  his 
country  on  the  battle-field  ;  taking  the  large  band  of 
students  and  neighbors  with  him  ;  studying  maps  and 
charts  of  the  country  menaced  or  occupied  by  the 


15 


enemy;  successful  in  driving  out  the  rebel  force,  and 
that  with  a  smaller  number  of  his  own  ;  rising  rapidly 
in  military  rank  ;  urged,  by  brave  men  at  the  front  and 
by  President  Lincoln  himself,  to  enter  Congress  because 
specially  prepared  for  service  there  ;  in  the  House  of 
Representatives,  leader  in  military  affairs,  in  appropri¬ 
ations,  in  our  system  of  finance  :  passing  on  to  the 
Senate  a  vigorous  worker,  untiring  reader  and  thinker  ; 
a  man  of  influence  wide  and  increasing ;  urging  the 
nomination  of  his  tried  friend,  John  Sherman,  until  the 
hour  when  his  own  name  is  caught  up,  and  the  honor 
falls  quickly  upon  himself :  modest  and  manly  through 
the  campaign  ;  constantly  winning  adherents  ;  becom¬ 
ing  the  choice  of  the  people  ;  and  at  last  standing 
President  of  the  United  States:  This  is  the  poor  boy, 
widow’s  son,  worker,  teacher,  student,  warrior,  states¬ 
man  ;  and  it  was  right  the  old  mother  should  stand  by 
him  when  he  took  the  official  oath  as  President  and 
/receive  the  first  greeting. 

Homes  and  home  life  are  specially  sacred.  But  in 
this  great,  prolonged  trial,  we  have  come  to  know  the 
White  House  family  as  our  own.  I  would  speak  with 
utmost  delicacy  and  chastened  tenderness.  The  one 
who  had  been  an  early  acquaintance,  fellow-student  and 
teadher ;  the  loving  wife  whose  influence  was  felt  by 
the  young  men  of  Hiram  College ;  who  gave  her 
husband  to  the  war ;  who  shared  in  all  his  cares  and 
anxieties ;  keeping  the  home  bright ;  who  has  made 
the  nation  and  world  proud  of  such  an  example,  has 
had  a  large  share  in  President  Garfield’s  attainments 
and  success.  When  she  came  from  Long  Branch, 
scarcely  recovered  from  threatening  disease,  and  the 
husband’s  eye  brightened,  and  his  lips  spoke  the  en- 


16 


clearing  pet  name,  all  our  hearts  throbbed  with  delight, 
that  now  she  was  near  to  care  for  her  wounded  husband. 
The  daily  bulletins — “  Mrs.  Garfield  is  by  his  bedside ;  ” 
“  she  is  showing  great  fortitude  ;  ”  calm,  composed, 
quickly  attentive,  always  hopeful — these  we  read  with 
ever-renewed  gratitude  to  God.  And  now  that  sorely- 
bereaved  wife  draws  all  near  to  her,  as  she  manifests 
such  faith  in  God,  and  such  holy  submission  to  His 
will.  She  has  become  the  nation’s  sacred  charge — not 
only  for  the  well-deserved  tribute  of  support,  but  to  be 
cherished  in  our  hearts  with  fervent  unceasing  prayer. 
“Harry”  and  “James,”  “Abram”  and  “Irvin” — may 
God  bless  those  fatherless  boys,  and  lead  them  on  to 
high  positions  of  usefulness,  as  He  led  their  father ; 
“  Mollie,”  only  daughter,  tenderly  beloved,  her  fathers 
companion,  bringing  many  a  ray  of  cheering  sunshine 
to  his  bedside  all  the  long  weeks  of  suffering— Oh, 
what  a  cruel  wrong  has  been  thrust  upon  all  of  them  ! 
Aged  mother,  devoted  wife,  fatherless  children,  be¬ 
reaved  brothers  and  sisters — all  darkened  in  sorrow  by 
the  hand  of  a  desperate  villain  ! 

It  will  be  a  day  of  sadness  on  the  morrow,  The 
vast  multitude  at  Cleveland,  thronging  to  the  burial, 
will  only  be  representatives  of  the  uncounted  millions 
in  this  land,  and  in  other  lands,  who  mourn  as  those 
that  cannot  be  comforted.  But  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
will  be  near  to  the  desolate  family ;  to  the  afflicted 
people.  We  are  not  in  despair.  We  mourn  not  with¬ 
out  hope.  With  undiminished  faith  we  believe  in  God. 
The  volume  of  petition  and  importunate  supplication 
has  not  been  in  vain.  We  read  anew  “  of  the  angel 
at  the  altar  above,  having  a  golden  censer  and  much 
incense  given  him,  that  he  should  add  it  to  the  prayers 


17 


of  all  saints,  upon  the  golden  altar  which  is  before  the 
throne.”  The  martyr  cry  has  had  urgent  increase : 
“And  they  cried  with  a  loud  voice,  saying,  How  long, 
O  Lord,  holy  and  true,  dost  thou  not  judge  and  avenge 
our  blood  on  them  that  dwell  on  the  earth  ?  ”  Years, 
ages,  speed  on,  and  God  only  knows  the  end.  But  we 
believe  in  Him,  that  “  not  a  sparrow  falls  to  the  ground 
without  His  notice,”  and  that  He  will  keep  in  eternal 
safety  all  that  trust  in  Him.  We  have  been  learning, 
we  are  now  learning  more  than  ever,  the  meaning  of 
that  agonizing  prayer  in  Gethsemane — “  O  my  Father, 
if  it  be  possible,  let  this  cup  pass  from  me  :  neverthe¬ 
less,  not  as  I  will,  but  as  thou  wilt,” — thrice-repeated, 
in  the  same  words,  and  yet  the  answer  came  in  the 
full  will  of  God,  in  the  completed  purpose,  in  the  glo¬ 
rious  work  of  our  redemption  accomplished.  If  in  any 
sense  we  have  learned  intercessory  petition  during 
months  past ;  if  we  have  been  brought  nearer  to  our 
Lord,  let  us  now  draw  closer,  as  we  say  with  sorrowing 
hearts,  drinking  the  bitter  cup — “  Thy  will,  O  God,  be 
done/’  In  our  homes,  in  all  our  public  assemblies,  in 
every  manifestation  of  bereavement,  in  all  the  tributes 
we  pay  to  our  martyred  President,  this  must  be  firmly 
held:  “God  over  all,  blessed  forever,”  will  lead  us, 
keep  us — this  great  nation,  the  sorely-smitten  family, 
and  in  His  own  good  time  we  shall  read  the  meaning 
of  this  mystery. 


